Kakoa - 62% Cacao Tuzantan Chiapas Mexico - Coffee & Oat Milk (bar) - April 8, 2026

 Chocolate of the Day

Kakoa
62% Cacao Tuzantan Chiapas Mexico (bar) with Coffee, Oat Milk (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2.11 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 327 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #23 of Chocolate & Mexico Theme Week(s).

Today's 62% Cacao Tuzantan Chiapas Mexico Coffee & Oat Milk (bar) (Batch #2814) was made by Kakoa (Rio Chico, Mexico City, Mexico). 

Aroma notes for this Special Edition bar included: dark chocolate; very faint, fleeting vegetable (nopales) and vinegar as well as very subtle dark/dried fruit/fruit acidity, coffee, and barely there honey, rice/oat and very faint mineral water.

Flavor notes: After letting the bar sit unwrapped for a few minutes, I tasted this bar. Any of the vegetable/vinegar notes that were in the initial aroma had dissipated, and I enjoyed the interplay between the authentic, and nuanced, rich coffee and cacao flavors. And the more I tasted, the more I liked this bar.

Texture: smooth melt with some astringency and tiny flecks of ground beans (coffee and maybe cacao). 

The very tiny pieces of crunchy coffee bean were a bit tough; but more intact pieces can help preserve some of the taste. (Pulverizing coffee to dust can reduce coffee flavor more quickly over time; while the cocoa butter in a tempered chocolate bar does help lock in flavors.)

The ground oats were subtle, and helped mellow and unite flavors; but they didn't have the physical smoothness of milk. (It's very difficult to replicate the creamy texture of dairy milk with just one ingredient.) Happily, I could not taste any oats; their incorporation was skillfully executed. 

I appreciated that this 62% bar wasn't overly sweet, and the short list of four quality ingredients, including single origin Mexican cacao from Tuzantan, Chiapas, Mexico.

Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Sugar, Oats and Coffee 

Allergen-related information: May contain milk and tree nuts. (Manufactured in a facility that also processes milk and tree nuts.)

 

Hijita - Marranito Spice - 70% Dark Chocolate Filled with Ginger & Spice Infused Almond Butter (bar) - April 7, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Hijita
Marranito Spice - 70% Dark Chocolate Filled with Ginger & Spice Infused Almond Butter (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) bar
Calories: 160 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Hijita, online order 

Welcome to Day #22 of Chocolate & Mexico Theme Week(s).

Today's Marranito Spice - 70% Dark Chocolate Filled with Ginger & Spice Almond Butter (bar) was manufactured by Hijita, LLC (in Austin, TX). 

The company collaborates with "farm and artisan partners in Mexico" and focuses on "preserving and showcasing Mexican Heirloom and Regenerative Cacao."

Today's bar was inspired by "Ashley's* favorite Mexican pan dulce"--the marranito (or puerquito)--"a classic pig-shaped gingerbread cookie."

Aroma and flavor notes for this single origin cacao, nut butter filled bar included: dark chocolate (deep, chocolate-y, slightly roasted), nut (almond butter) and warm spices (cinnamon, light ginger, vanilla).

As with other Hijita offerings, this was chocolate "art" in the form of a geometric, multidimensional, faceted sculpture. It was not your average, rectangular, flat chocolate bar (tableta, tablette).

Texture: smooth, well-tempered chocolate and authentic nut (almond) butter 

I appreciated the maker's choice to have the dark chocolate still be the star here. (This filled chocolate wasn't overly sweet or spicy.) 

I also liked the short list of quality, locally-sourced ingredients including single origin cacao from Mexico. The judicious use of less refined cane sugar added subdued, warm sweetness and allowed me to further enjoy the cacao and subtle warm spice and almond flavors.

Ingredients: Mexican Cacao*, Almonds*, Cacao Butter*, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Diaspora Co. Basiya Ginger, Mexican Cinnamon, Mexican Allspice, Mexican Vanilla Bean, Mexican Sea Salt; Less than 1%: Cocoa Butter Coloring (Cocoa Butter, Natural Colors) (* = Certified Organic)

Allergen-related information: Contains: Almond. Made in a Facility That Processes Peanuts & Tree Nuts

*Ashley Ugarte founded Hijita. (Ashley also formerly served as a chocolatier at bean-to-bar maker Dandelion Chocolate (San Francisco, CA.)